The present invention concerns an axle unit, in particular for use in trucks.
Axle units have been known for a long time in the prior art. It is also known to mount additional motors, such as for example hydraulic single wheel drives, on axle units in the region of the wheel suspension in order for example to be able to maneuver a trailer when the tractor vehicle is detached, or for example to be able to transmit additional drive power to the individual wheels on steep gradients and/or under heavy load. In the past, a great improvement has already been achieved by integrating in the axle body of a rigid axle the lines necessary to supply the additional drive with the corresponding hydraulic fluid. Since, suitably, the hydraulic lines must be conducted to the additional motor via the non-rotating part of a wheel suspension, and—if the hydraulic lines are not integrated in the axle body—this would require an extremely complex line arrangement which is susceptible to failure and takes up substantial installation space, so far axle bodies have been used which are able to receive hydraulic lines. However, these axle bodies have proved extremely disadvantageous since they have an extremely high weight. In addition, creating the bores in the axle body entails a very great production cost. There is therefore a need for improvement with regard to the weight reduction of axle bodies with integrated hydraulic lines, and with regard to simplifying the production of such an axle body.
The object of the present invention is to provide an axle unit which allows a low weight and easier production, while fulfilling the high requirements for strength and durability under load. Furthermore, a production method is indicated for production of an axle unit, which is simpler and more economic to implement than the production methods previously known.